Over the past 30 years, benzimidazoles have increasingly been used to treat cystic echinococcosis (CE). The efficacy of benzimidazoles, however, remains unclear. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, SIGLE, and CCTR to identify studies on benzimidazole treatment outcome. A large heterogeneity of methods in 23 reports precluded a meta-analysis of published results. Specialist centres were contacted to provide individual patient data. We conducted survival analyses for cyst response defined as inactive (CE4 or CE5 by the ultrasound-based World Health Organisation [WHO] classification scheme) or as disappeared. We collected data from 711 treated patients with 1,308 cysts from six centres (five countries). Analysis was restricted to 1,159 liver and peritoneal cysts. Overall, 1–2 y after initiation of benzimidazole treatment 50%–75% of active C1 cysts were classified as inactive/disappeared compared to 30%–55% of CE2 and CE3 cysts. Further in analyzing the rate of inactivation/disappearance with regard to cyst size, 50%–60% of cysts <6 cm responded to treatment after 1–2 y compared to 25%–50% of cysts >6 cm. However, 25% of cysts reverted to active status within 1.5 to 2 y after having initially responded and multiple relapses were observed; after the second and third treatment 60% of cysts relapsed within 2 y. We estimated that 2 y after treatment initiation 40% of cysts are still active or become active again. The overall efficacy of benzimidazoles has been overstated in the past. There is an urgent need for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial that compares standardized benzimidazole therapy on responsive cyst stages with the other treatment modalities.

Overall long-term (>5 years) survival of subjects with two disease-causing ABCA3 mutations was <20%. Response to therapies needs to be ascertained in randomised controlled trials.

Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) care has been implemented in Turkey for a long time; however, there had been no patient registry. For this purpose, the Turkish National CF Registry was established. We present the first results of registry using data collected in 2017. Methods The data were collected using a data‐entry software system, which was accessed from the internet. Demographic and annually recorded data consisted of 15 and 79 variables, respectively. Results There were 1170 patients registered from 23 centers; the estimated coverage rate was 30%. The median age at diagnosis was 1.7 years (median current age: 7.3 years); 51 (4.6%) patients were aged over 18 years. Among 293 patients who were under 3 years of age, 240 patients (81.9%) were diagnosed through newborn screening. Meconium ileus was detected in 65 (5.5%) patients. Genotyping was performed in 978 (87.4%) patients and 246 (25.2%) patients' mutations were unidentified. The most common mutation was deltaF508 with an allelic frequency of 28%, followed by N1303K (4.9%). The median FEV1% predicted was 86. Chronic colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was seen in 245 patients. The most common complication was pseudo‐Bartter syndrome in 120 patients. The median age of death was 13.5 years in a total of 15 patients. Conclusions Low coverage rate, lack of genotyping, unidentified mutations, and missing data of lung functions are some of our greatest challenges. Including data of all centers and reducing missing data will provide more accurate data and help to improve the CF care in Turkey in the future.

BackgroundPseudo‐Bartter syndrome (PBS) is a rare complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) and there are limited data in the literature about it. We aimed to compare clinical features and accompanying findings of patients with PBS in a large patient population.MethodsThe data were collected from the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Turkey where 1170 CF patients were recorded in 2017. Clinical features, diagnostic test results, colonization status, complications, and genetic test results were compared in patients with and without PBS.ResultsTotally 1170 patients were recorded into the registry in 2017 and 120 (10%) of them had PBS. The mean age of diagnosis and current age of patients were significantly younger and newborn screening positivity was lower in patients with PBS (P < .001). There were no differences between the groups in terms of colonization status, mean z‐scores of weight, height, BMI, and mean FEV1 percentage. Types of genetic mutations did not differ between the two groups. Accompanying complications were more frequent in patients without PBS.ConclusionPBS was detected as the most common complication in the registry. It could be due to warm weather conditions of our country. It is usually seen in younger ages regardless of mutation phenotype and it could be a clue for early diagnosis of CF.

No abstract

Potent antioxidants, beta-carotene and vitamin E are deficient in patients with CF and in patients with BE, and they are more susceptible to oxidative damage. These patients may benefit from beta-carotene supplementation.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy administered by the subcutaneous route was introduced a century ago and has been shown to be effective in the management of allergic rhinitis and asthma. More recently, the sublingual administration of allergen extracts has become popular, especially in European countries, and has also demonstrated efficacy in respiratory allergic diseases. Both modes of allergen administration during immunotherapy have been shown not only to reduce symptoms and the need for medication, but also to prevent the development of additional sensitivities in monosensitized patients, as well as asthma development in patients with allergic rhinitis, with a long-lasting effect after the completion of several years of treatment. Almost all of the well-designed and double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies evaluated treatment with single-allergen extracts. Therefore, most meta-analyses published to date evaluated immunotherapy with single allergen or extracts containing several cross-reactive allergens. As a result, in general, multiallergen immunotherapy in polysensitized patients (mixture of noncross-reactive allergens) is not recommended owing to lack of evidence. Although some guidelines have recommended against the use of multiallergen mixtures, allergists commonly use mixtures to which the patient is sensitive with the rationale that effective immunotherapy should include all major sensitivities. Literature on this subject is scarce in spite of the widespread use worldwide. Here, this issue will be extensively discussed based on currently available literature and future perspectives will also be explored.

Bronchiectasis is characterized by permanent changes in the structure and function of the airways. Its cause cannot be identified in some cases. A genetic disease can predispose to bronchiectasis in our country, where consanguinity of parents is common. Transporter associated with antigen presentation (TAP) deficiency syndrome is characterized by recurrent bacterial lower respiratory tract infections, which cause bronchiectasis. Our aim was to document the relationship between idiopathic bronchiectasis and TAP gene polymorphisms. Forty-four patients with idiopathic bronchiectasis and 100 healthy individuals as the control group were included. DNA was extracted and gene polymorphisms for TAP1 and TAP2 were studied. When compared to healthy controls, in the patient group, Ile/Ile genotype was decreased and Ile/Val genotype was increased in TAP1-333 polymorphism analysis; Asp/Asp and Gly/Gly genotypes were decreased and Asp/Gly frequency was increased in TAP1-637 polymorphism analysis; Ile/Val genotype was increased and Ile/Ile genotype was decreased in TAP2-379 polymorphism analysis; and Thr/Thr genotype frequency was decreased and Thr/Ala and Ala/Ala genotypes were increased in TAP2-665 polymorphism analysis. No statistically significant difference between patient and control groups was noted only in TAP2-565 polymorphism analysis. These results indicate that TAP gene polymorphisms may have had a role in the development of bronchiectasis in our patient group. Therefore, TAP deficiency syndrome should be considered in children with idiopathic diagnosis, since early diagnosis of the disease will improve life quality and survival.